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PEN 2011: The Democratization and Degradation of Criticism
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Day three of PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. Event number four for me, at a fourth location. One of the joys of this weeklong event is discovering new and unusual places. So far I’ve been in the sexy Standard Hotel, the very cool Chelsea Lighthouse, an old gymnasium in Little Italy, and now the charming Greenwich House Music School—all new to me. Looking ahead, I’m scheduled to cover six more events in six more locations. Variety is the spice of life, and of PEN World Voices!
PEN 2011: The Public Intellectual, Today
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
For me, PEN’s World Voices Festival of International Literature began two hours before the “official” opening night event (discussed here and here). I kicked off my favorite annual event at The Public Intellectual panel, held in the svelte Standard Hotel.
PEN 2010: The Critical Moment
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Austrian Cultural Forum (ACF) is eye-catching. The building’s zigzags penetrating and receding from the brick facades vertically paving 53rd St. Manhattan exudes a bit of swagger. This afternoon, I finally had the pleasure of exploring the tantalizingly narrow building, to listen in on the workings of the critical mind. My adventure through PEN World Voices Festival 2010 continued, but this time I heard from the critics, rather than the writers.
